September 12, 1937

The Bicentennial of the Founding of Richmond Was Celebrated

The Virginia Capital Bicentennial Commission planned the festivities to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of the founding of Richmond. The main event was the presentation of Cavalcade of the Cavaliers, a dramatization of Richmond's history that included twenty-eight scenes, seven hundred actors, and three outdoor stages. William Byrd (1674–1744), of Westover plantation, founded the Richmond at the falls of the James River with the help of William Mayo (ca. 1684–1744), who surveyed the town in 1737. The name probably came from the English town Richmond upon Thames.